A Ranger's Vendetta
by Rad3on
Summary: Set before The Royal Ranger and after The Emporer of Nihon-Ja, Will and Alyss attempt to live out their lives as peacefully as a Ranger and Diplomat can. However, that doesn't last long. For when Will's actions from the past and fame start to catch up to him, he is thrown into a dilemma as he, and everyone he loves is put into perilous danger. Will he be able to protect his family?
1. Reminiscent

_**Alright, I decided to make a fic on Rangers Apprentice because why not. This is not my main piece of work right now so updates will likely be sporadic based on how much attention this gets. As always don't be afraid to leave a review of ways to improve my skills as a writer or to state whether you like this or not and if you want more. I've got about 30 000 words done in a VERY rough version that, if edited, can be released fairly quickly. However, past that point will take longer because I do have other projects and irl problems. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

It was hard to hate anything on such a beautiful day, but Will couldn't help it. Only a handful of years had passed by since his adventures in Nihon-Ja, but he still found himself wanting to be on another one. He had begun to grow bored doing menial tasks around the cabin and at Redmond castle. It was only a handful of times when a cork sprang loose, only to plug itself by the time he'd arrived. As Will sat down with a hot mug in both his hands, he stared blankly at a wall. Even though it appeared he was lost in philosophical thought, he was only delving into his memories. Halt had retired a few weeks ago after his hair finished turning silver, and a month before that Crowley had also retired. Gilan was the lucky ranger that was chosen to fill Crowley's boots as the Ranger Commandment; Will knew he was up for the job but not so much for the paperwork. He grinned as he thought about the hiding spots and perches Gilan would have time to build around the gathering grounds like Crowley had done. He let out a sigh, Halt had moved to Castle Araluen in his retirement. Lady Pauline likewise joined him, moving into the draft apartments in the stone towers. It was beginning to feel lonely around here as all of his mentors and friends began to feel their age.

At least he had Alyss here at Redmont with him. Will looked into the dark liquid still steaming in his cup. He wondered if he would look different if Alyss weren't here with him—how he'd act without her. _I'd probably be as grim as Halt._ He looked over at Ebony, who still showed signs of pure activity. She stared right back into his eyes, showing some concern.

"You have anything I could do?" Will asked her.

There was no response other than a slight tilting of the border shepherd's head.

Will looked around at the spotless shelves, the rug on the floor he had already beaten and his recently-polished dishes. He had even gotten two buckets of water waiting outside his door for when he needed them. He looked down at the paperwork on the small nearby table while scoffing at himself; he'd gotten so bored that he had begun to do paperwork. He felt like Crowley for a second, that's what most of his senior life as a ranger was. He pitied him but was glad he wasn't chosen to take his place. Although Gilan was now at Castle Araluen, which was an absolute honour, Will was contempt with Redmont—actually he loved it. He would go down to Jenny's restaurant and play his mandolin; he could always use some extra cash. Even though Rangers were respected and feared, they were paid a small amount. Will couldn't even afford a mirror for his cottage. He always had to use Alyss's or at rare times, Arald's, who had a full-size mirror and whenever Will stepped into his office he would immediately step in front of it.

He grinned as he remembered Arald's condescending words, "you hate being seen by others but can't take your eyes off yourself. You're almost as bad as her." Of course, the Baron always joked about him and Alyss, but Will wasn't aware of how much she admired him. He thought he admired her and not vice a versa. Will shook the thought from his mind.

Alyss was out on a mission, due to be back soon. Of course, she had taken over in Pauline's place, and she was wonderful at her job. To Will's dismay, she was still a courier, still with missions she had to endure and very little time off for herself.

Almost psychically, he heard voices outside his cottage. Ebony noticed too and pricked her ears up and walked towards the wall. Will smiled at the dog who was seemingly staring at a blank slate of wood—that's what it looked like to the average person. But to Will, he knew of the two small holes put through the wood by an arrowhead that Ebony used to look safely out of. She would be able to look outside of the cottage without having to leave, allowing her to warn Will whether someone dangerous was approaching or not. Her ears flicked and she looked back at Will letting out a high pitched yip, almost as soon as Tug nickered a greeting outside. Will raised an eyebrow—an action that he learned from Halt. He wasn't expecting any visitors, but obviously, it was someone the animals knew. He knew it wasn't Alyss because she would have been at his door by now. She always stopped at his cottage before going to the castle. But she always leapt off her horse and opened the door with an air of confidence before Ebony could get eyes on her. Will took advantage of it and had played a few practical jokes on her because of this behaviour. She only did it because she knew how Will hated when she barged in unannounced. One time he had placed a bucket of lukewarm water on top of the door that was open ajar. Alyss hadn't thought about the door already being open, and when she shoved it away the bucket tipped onto her head, drenching her from head to toe. He had tied a string from the bucket to the ceiling, he didn't want to give her a concussion as she came in. But to his surprise she wasn't angry at all, she grinned at him and lunged at him out of nowhere. She bearhugged him and, using her height, she lifted him off the ground. By doing so she soaked him too, and then they'd both begun to laugh uncontrollably.

Will shook his head to clear the thought and immediately regretted it. He had caused an involuntary movement in his hand holding the mug and spilt some of his precious coffee over his hands. He laid the mug on a counter and wiped it on himself.

"Nice going, not like that's expensive or anything." He blew on his burned hand and waved it in the air and froze as Ebony was staring at him. He shooed her away, he could have sworn he saw her grin as she got into her bed happily. Will squinted at her but shifted his gaze back to the door. If it wasn't Alyss, maybe it was Horace. He visited Redmont once in a while to catch-up. Will shook his head immediately—there would be more men here. After all, he was technically King.

King Duncan had fallen ill a month earlier, no one really knows what it was that ailed him. It may have been caused by his age, but nonetheless, he didn't have the strength to govern in his state. His body was strong, but this ailment affected the mind more than his body. It was Malcolm that identified his illness.

"He's not sick at all. He's just feeling his age all of a sudden. Soon he'll be over it and come to face how his body is changing. It's like going through puberty." Malcolm had grinned at the last statement, it didn't make Duncan feel any better but there wasn't anything Malcolm could do; like he said it would pass. Maybe it is because of all the stress he's been under as King, he's definitely got more than a few gray hairs. In his absence, Cassandra was named queen temporarily. With that title of ruler, her husband Horace was also named King. He had felt guilty taking Duncan's title but Duncan was actually encouraging him to do it.

"You need experience in governing." Duncan had told his successor.

Cassandra was an excellent queen, Will wouldn't be surprised if Duncan retired and let her take over. She's implemented laws and changed taxes that have benefitted everyone—she'd even impressed Duncan. Will had a nagging suspicion that Duncan was faking it. He knew he wanted to test Cassandra and this was definitely working. Although it made her and Horace extremely busy; to see them it was mainly Will that had to go out. But once a month or two they would make time to come down and visit for a day. Sometimes they stayed longer, bringing their work with them.

Will bit his tongue, telling himself to stop being reminiscent of everything. He focused again as he began to hear horses footsteps— definitely not enough to be Horace. Halt possibly, but he was sure he would have heard Abelard's gait, he could recognize it from anywhere—it was the same with Tug, Kicker and even Blaze. But this wasn't a horse he knew, and there were a few more horses just behind. In fact, the rider on the first horse seemed to be an amateur; the horse was sidling and sidestepping as they cantered making it unable to keep a steady gait. Will racked his brain but couldn't place who it was. It was someone he knew—someone that Ebony and Tug knew well. But he didn't recognize any of them by sound, and that was a very rare occurrence. Maybe he'd made a mistake he thought to himself. Will stepped closer towards the door trying to listen, trying to place who it was.

Little did he know, his first thought was the correct one even if he had reasonable evidence to cross it off. Alyss was an experienced rider, and she would always gallop to Will's door, skid to a stop and essentially kick it open as if she owned the place. She loved annoying and embarrassing Will at times like this. She knew how boring life around here was at this time of year. But on her recent mission, her horse had accidentally stepped into a hole made by a badger looking for a food. Luckily the horse hadn't broken its leg, but it had fallen forward and onto its side. Taken by surprise, Alyss wasn't able to unsaddle herself in time. The horse landed on her right leg, almost breaking it. She wasn't sure if it wasn't broke or not, maybe it was just fractured. Either way, she couldn't walk on it afterwards because of the pain—it swelled around the knee and grown an ugly greenish yellow. One of her men-at-arms had attempted to get her out from under the horse quickly, but the flailing, panic-stricken horse struck his chest with a hoof. He'd broken three ribs and wore an ugly leather cast around his chest with a look of resentment at his fellow comrades who tried not to laugh at him. Alyss, on the other hand, was told she wouldn't be able to walk without a cast and needed to give it time to heal. Since she was almost always on missions, she had been given a crutch to help her mobility. Her cast was a long simple hardened piece of leather that made it so she couldn't bend her leg. It stretched from just above her right ankle and to the lower part of her thigh. It made riding awkward and the horse kept skipping to the left or right with signals she inadvertently sent to it. She hissed under her breath as the horse danced again and sent pain shooting up her leg. It was completely numb except for these sudden movements. Her right leg didn't even fully sit in the stirrup and hung awkwardly just outside of it. She felt like if the horse reared in annoyance it would throw her off, and she was scared to death of that. Likewise, the horse was equally frightened of her by now because of her un-ladylike swearing when it had almost crushed her leg.

Nonetheless, Alyss was determined not to let a small injury get in way of her duties, or her routines. She would have made her usual entrance to Will's, but the rocking motion of a galloping horse made her mind go numb with pain.

She didn't know how painful this would be for her and she could only think of how Will would handle it—for he's been through more pain than she ever has. In fact, he'd taken a knife into his thigh a year ago. It was a fight between him and some lowly bandits that hadn't recognized Will. They attacked while he and Alyss were on their way towards Wensley Village to meet with Jenny. They'd gotten lucky with their timing as Will had taken off his double scabbard for a moment to fix a broken buckle. He'd been forced to drop his weapons and grab his bow but not without one of the men getting close to him. It was almost too quick for Alyss to see at the time, but Will hadn't expected such a fast attack and had been injured by one of the three bandits. After being stabbed, he had left the knife inside, shot down two of his attackers and fought the last one in close combat. They had both been disarmed earlier, but Will had seen an opportunity. He swung a right hook that he knew his opponent would sidestep out of. But as he did, he set his left leg forward and used the motion of his right to grip the knife and slid it out of his leg. He merely grunted in pain and in a smooth motion slammed the knife several inches into the man's sternum as he had only just set his feet on the ground from his sidestep. Alyss saw it firsthand and was amazed at how he had handled the pain. She felt inferior now as she struggled through the pain of a fractured knee.

She saw Will's cottage appear beside her all of a sudden, she'd almost missed it in her deep thought. She signalled for the horse to stop and it did so. It was paying attention now and trying to ignore some of her unintentional proddings. Her three man at arms behind her followed suit as well, but much smoother. Usually, she was a better rider than them, but not in her current situation. She looked at Wills door and had the instinct to get down and see him as soon as possible. She also needed to sit down on something that wasn't moving as much. She kept an eye on his door as she went through her rehearsed movement of swing her right leg over the horse's backside and onto the ground and then taking her left out of the stirrup. But Alyss, after taking so long to be wary of her leg, had forgotten all about it when she thought of Will. She had a smile on her face as she began getting off. However, as she tried swinging her leg over, the extra weight of the leather caused her leg to bump into the horse's backside. It knocked her off balance, her left foot already on the edge of the stirrup. The horse jumped in surprise, jostling Alyss and she cursed at it again. The movement caused her casted leg to come over the horse and toward the ground, her left foot becoming stuck in its stirrup. She let out a yelp of surprise as she suddenly felt herself falling. She landed on the soft grass, the tip of her left boot still touching the stirrup with her right lying on the ground. Her white Courier gown was wrinkled and no doubt stained, and her long blond hair was blocking her vision. She moaned in pain as she opened her eyes. Her back ached and the surprise had taken her breath away. She heard the shouts of her man-at-arms who were now hurriedly dismounting. She angrily blew her hair out of her face and suddenly the footsteps of her bodyguards stopped mid-stroke. She looked up as she pushed the blonde blindfold aside, and she stared at a familiar smiling face.

"Now why'd you go and do that?" Will asked as he looked down with a smirk at his wife.

Will stood over Alyss with a wide grin on his face. He'd never seen a worse dismount off of a horse, beginners were better than she was. Alyss said nothing, her cheeks flooded with embarrassment and she sunk her head back into the grass. Although the sky was clear with only a couple of clouds drifting lazily around, her mood only kept getting worse. Will heard her swear under her breath.

"How ladylike."

"Shut up, before I show you what a lady can do." Alyss hissed at Will.

Naturally, Will laughed at her attempts to berate him. He helped her up as he noticed the cast on her leg for the first time. Instead of putting an arm around her to steady her like he was originally going to do, he picked her up like a groom would with a bride. The men at arms waited outside as he stepped inside with a beaming Alyss. Her mood was instantly elevated as the ridicule from Will came to an end and she could begin to relax. Even though she was embarrassed by the way he had seen her, she was going to have fun these next few weeks.

* * *

"That's how it happened? Really?"

Will, Alyss and her guards were all crammed inside of the small cabin. It was a neat little place but was largely unfurnished—as was the Ranger's way. Although Will had used much of his precious coffee beans to procure a drink for everyone with the notion of how expensive this habit was, Will thought it was only proper etiquette.

Alyss sat in the center of the room on a padded wooden chair with both her cold hands wrapped around her hot mug. Her wooden crutch stand next to her as it rested against the oak table. Will sat across from her with his own, previously half-spilled, coffee. The guards had all chosen to reside standing next to the door, knowing they wouldn't be in the cabin for long. Although, they stayed close enough to show thanks to Will for his warm-hearted greeting.

Will shook his head in surprise. He'd imagined that she had run into bandits or selflessly put herself into harm's way. Instead, it was as simple as her horse falling on her. Good thing at that, if it were a bandit that injured her and gotten away Will would have hunted him for months.

Alyss waved it off saying, "it's nothing serious, just a fracture. "

Will raised an eyebrow, "this won't impede your duties?"

Alyss spoke with a grin, "it barely bothers me." She had a newfound air of confidence in her, which Will immediately found to be suspicious. He squinted at her; they'd been married for years and he had learned how to read the subtlest hints in her facade she put on at any time. He never told her what the tells were since they only appeared to him after a year of marriage. However, he saw a new emotion in her face—one he hadn't seen before. He'd seen embarrassment once in her, and it wasn't now. It wasn't fear. He hadn't seen her actually be hurt before, or anything that would cause her pain. There was a difference between emotional pain and physical pain. He knew it had to be her pain she was hiding. In seconds he read her features and noticed how when she moved and resettled in her seat, her right foot stayed anchored to the floor, preventing movement.

Will leaned back and crossed his arms. He spoke while pointing towards the counter on the far side of the room, "well then I guess you wouldn't mind passing me the honey."

He'd poured them both coffees but intentionally left the honey out. _You never know when you have to get out of your seat subtly_. The colour drained out of Alyss's cheeks and her jaw opened slightly. Not enough to part the lips, and it lasted less than a second. Only someone who knew what to look for would see it. Will disdainfully looked at her, he didn't want to hurt his wife in any means but he had to be sure she knew, fully and completely, that she was not capable of normal movement and thus her daily routine. Alyss usually kept herself out of these predicaments, maybe the pain was affecting her focus also, he assumed.

Alyss looked at the honey and back at Will, who had his gleaming eyes set on her. She hesitated and looked back at it.

"Starting to get cold here." Will rushed her as he stretched his back.

"I'm getting to it."

Will looked behind her at the man-at-arms he had waved inside earlier. They were eagerly drinking their own coffee as Will asked, "any of you want honey in yours?"

The soldiers had been eagerly listening in on the conversation; they knew that Will was one of the only people that could stump Alyss. Alyss shot a glance back at them, turning away from Will. His smile grew wider as he looked at the men and nodded while mouthing "yes" to them. They quickly caught on and grinned at Alyss.

The man with the leather bound around his chest held out his mug for her to take asking, "a refill wouldn't hurt either."

Alyss glared a dagger at him, but these were her bodyguards and they weren't afraid of her. They knew how light-hearted she really was, and of course, they respected her. They'd never do this to her if there weren't a reason behind it—they knew the importance of this lesson. Alyss gripped her guard's mug, which she noted was still three-quarters full. The men kept grinning at her as she turned to Will.

He already had his attention back to her as he gestured again at the honey. She looked over at it again, and he saw the flicker of doubt and pain on her mind. She had convinced herself that she could; she had to know she couldn't. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the crutch lying against the table. As soon as she saw it, Will already had it in his hands. He was inspecting it saying, "What craftsmanship, I know a boy in the town who could really use this. Since you're so capable, you won't exactly need it."

Will almost felt bad as he closed Alyss into a corner but this was payback for all the practical jokes she always made at him. As he was sitting contemptibly knowing there wasn't anything she could do, Alyss was deciding if she was going to throw the coffee in his face or not. She decided against it as the hot liquid could seriously harm him. She looked at the honey and her confidence surged. _Easy peasy_. _I am capable_. She planted a hand on the table and pushed herself up. Oddly Will took the mug she had taken from the soldier. He had done it while she was looking at the honey, she didn't complain as he started to drink it. She didn't see the reasoning behind Will taking it, but it was similar to the reason she didn't throw it over him.

Alyss set her determined face and took a step with her left. _That's not so bad. Why were you ever worried?_. She stepped forward with her right, and the jarring motion sent pain shooting through her body. She'd never been hurt like this and she hated every fibre of it. She tried to hide her quick intake of breath and took another step. Even the motion of stretching her leg made it painful. She heard a soft click that sounded like someone snapping their fingers from the table that Will was sitting at but she forced it out of her thoughts as she focused. However, she didn't have time to take another step as she felt something soft brush by her leg. She jumped instinctually at the touch and looked down at Ebony. Too late she realized she had literally jumped at the touch. She immediately regretted it when her feet touched the ground. It was jarring and set her leg on fire as she landed with all her weight on it. She yelped in pain and fell backwards. She caught her herself on her hands and let out a sigh of relief, even though she could barely breathe through the pain right now.

As she was on the ground, trying to regain focus on everything around her, she failed to see Will crouched in front of her with a grim face. He wasn't smiling like usual—he was as serious as Halt was for a moment. He looked into her eyes and Alyss felt immediately guilty, compelled to make amends. She felt even more inferior as she looked up at him and then at her own men. They had all lost their smiles too as they waited for her response. She lay back as she rolled her eyes exasperated.

"Fine, I'll take a day off."


	2. Sense of Purpose

Will's cabin felt all too familiar as Alyss laid on her back staring at the ceiling. Will was out getting some more coffee and general household supplies as Alyss twiddled her thumbs. She had insisted on getting a couple pairs of clothes brought down, including a few extra pairs of her diplomatic uniform—one that she currently wore. Although it may seem odd to many why she wore it as a casual and uniform dress, it was mainly because of how comfortable the wear actually was; that and she never knew when she would be needed for a job as a courier.

Alyss still wore her leg brace knowing if she didn't her leg would never heal properly. Although the hardened brown leather was uncomfortable as it kept her leg indefinitely extended. The feeling of inability it brought with it wasn't uplifting to her spirits either as she lay on her back, waiting for something interesting to happen.

Alyss lay on a mattress that Will had laid out in the main room of his cabin. It was comfortable; not too hard whilst not letting Alyss sink through to the floor. Normally, she would have preferred to stay in her personal room at Redmont but to be honest, Alyss was enjoying her time here with Will. Although Will had to constantly make her sit back down as she wanted to get back to work.

Alyss never got off very lightly from her attempt to shake off her injury. She may love her work, but she loved Will more; he convinced her to take at least three days off to allow the swelling to go down. She wasn't angry at him for the lesson he'd given to her the first day before—Alyss knows she needed it.

The lesson that Will gave her three days ago hit her hard—metaphorically and physically. She remembered how her rump ached from after landing, off the horse and off his floorboards. Alyss was a proud woman but still had the decency to tell him he was right; that she was being blind to how her injury limited her work. The men-at-arms also stayed nearby at her beck and call, being paid even though they were allowed to lounge about. That is until Will put them to work with menial chores the ranger would usually do himself.

They'd been through their fair share of injuries and knew the experience that comes with pain. Will's lesson taught her more than just what he had intended, or at least she thought it was all he intended, but she realized how much she couldn't do. She could barely ride a horse, definitely not in a forest. She couldn't sit in a cramped desk in the castle like usual, walking was almost impossible for her without her crutch. The pain, she hated the pain most. She knew that to Will, he'd barely feel it but to her, it is the most painful thing she's experienced in her life other than one or two bad monthly cramps. She grinned knowing Will would never feel the pain of that. Her heart sank again as she realized he'd probably shrug those off too.

Alyss ground her teeth together for a moment—creating a similar sound her knee did when pain flashed from it. She clenched her teeth determinedly and spoke aloud to herself, "If he can get stabbed and still kill three men, I can walk a little. "

Alyss motioned to get up, starting to swing her right leg off of the soft mattress. Without a precurse of anything like footsteps, the door latch opened and she hastily swung her leg back—which she instantly regretted trying to get up. The door swung open with a screech from the unoiled hinges. A small figure with a molten cloak stepped forward while holding a leather satchel close against his hip. Alyss immediately recognized Will and knew that he had his hood up. She prayed that he didn't notice the sharp movement of her getting back onto the mattress as she tried to hide the fact that she'd attempted to get onto her injured leg.

She watched Will step in and close the door behind him as he carried a leather satchel with him. He'd gone out to buy a few supplies for them.

"Trying to go somewhere?" Will's voice cut through the silence in the air like a knife through butter as he strode towards the cupboards on the opposite wall.

Alyss spoke after leaning back with a heavy sigh, "how'd you know?" Will didn't respond but simply looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she acquiesced and stared at the ceiling again. Alyss was going to make a snappy response about wanting to get up and out into Redmont again, but bit her tongue before any ill-fated words slipped out; she didn't want to worry him, for after he taught her that she had limitations, he completely changed.

Will had taken his own mattress and given it to her. He simply had his bedroll on the ground, stating he preferred it anyway. He was always awake before her and awake when she went to sleep. Alyss had no way of knowing if he slept at all. She also wondered if he hated caring for her. Will was the one that had convinced her to stay with him and she didn't know if he regretted it or not. She knew it was a lot of work and that she wasn't able to help him much.

Alyss watched as he went about cleaning his cabin, it was tedious but it was oddly satisfying for her to see her husband cleaning. Guiltily, she realized that she'd never actually helped him clean his cabin. She looked down and rested her head. Will has been the best husband she could ask for, especially these last three days. He made delicious food for her, one of the meals she was convinced he had gone all the way to Jenny's to pick up. He still maintained all his own chores and helped her with anything she had to do. Will let her rest her leg, it was a miracle if he ever let her get up. She shifted her body to make herself more comfortable and as she felt the pain in her leg she realized why.

Alyss let out a sigh of gratitude, unaware that Will heard her perfectly. She was amazed at how efficient he was in his life. She had a nagging feeling that she was intruding on his manners but as she watched him pour her a coffee without asking as he added the right amount of sugar and cream, she decided that it didn't matter—she was having the time of her life believe it or not. Will even added a sprinkle of something else, she knew he'd never tell her—it was his little secret. It was probably something to give it a little bit of extra flavour, one that Alyss couldn't immediately place. She smiled, unable to contain it. He was doing everything for her, without her even having to ask. When she thought she was going to enjoy this, this isn't what she imagined. Nonetheless, she loved it, the amount of care he showed her made her feel like Cassandra herself. All the while with a smile on his face whenever she thanked him or smiled her gratitude. She pondered about if he secretly liked taking care of her.

In fact, Will was able to revel in his care for Alyss. She was here with him 24/7 while beforehand it was rare for them to have one full day together. With other people, he always felt their stares pierce through him but as he poured Alyss a coffee he felt her gaze, and it was warming. He had always dreamed of a time where he would be taking care of her, to have her sink into his arms gratefully at his mere presence. He had always wanted a chance to show her how much he really loved her and when it came around, he'd leapt at the opportunity. He smiled widely as the warm sensation reached his heart. He knew it was killing Alyss to stay out of work for so long. He looked back and saw her smiling widely at him too, with the same smile in her green eyes. He stirred their coffees and decided that she was enjoying herself almost as much as he was.

There wasn't any harm in Alyss taking a rest. In fact, it probably saved her life; in her three days, Will had found out about how her wound could be easily infected. He knew the reputation of the doctor she saw—he wasn't a Malcolm. Her guards had told him because they knew how he would care for her. Since then he had begun to add a mixture of herbs to her coffee, a drink that he had slowly gotten her addicted to over the years—albeit she hated having honey in it. The herbs he added made sure any wound she had would barely get infected and kept any fever or sickness away. It was also a painkiller, and he knew how she couldn't handle much pain yet. Eventually, as a Courier, she would endure some, but no one ever tortured a Courier. Yet everyone tortured a Ranger whenever possible. He shook his head and looked at her coffee, it was probably an unnecessary precaution, but he did it anyway. Even if he did have to dip into his savings a little bit, it was worth it for her. When she had asked what it was, he told her it was a secret blend her put in their coffees. He thought she'd see through it immediately since it didn't change the flavour of the coffee at all; but in telling her, she convinced herself that the taste did change. He was surprised, usually, she couldn't be manipulated so easily.

However, even though they both loved each others company, Alyss itched to get on the road. She wanted to check back in at Redmont with Baron Arald. Will submitted, knowing it was tearing her apart not knowing what was happening in the political world.

* * *

On the fourth day, Will rode with her to Redmont. And for the first time in years, he chose not to ride Tug. Instead, he chose to ride on Alyss's horse that she had fallen off of earlier. Will had no problem controlling the large bay, while it would have been a struggle for Alyss. Tug made the ride wonderful for her. Ranger horses were trained to protect their masters. They knew a multitude of tricks, one of which Will had named "easy riding". It was a simple movement variation for Tug, the horse having to stretch his movements and slow them down. The motions caused a smooth undulating motion instead of the constant rocking back and forth that could prove painful to an injured rider. Every Ranger horse knew this and would instinctively start riding like this when their rider is injured to avoid causing more harm. Tug could also be told by Will to move like this for anyone who so happened to be riding him at the time. As Alyss had mounted him earlier in a slow suspicious way, Will had looked at Tug intently until he was ready for a command. He'd given Alyss the code-word for Tug when they'd gotten married, and she knew how much that meant to him. Looking back at that moment earlier today, Will was amazed at how skeptical she had looked getting on Tug, expecting the ride to be agonizing and had wanted to ride her own horse out of instinct. She was scared of the pain and wanted familiarity—Will knew the feeling. But as they neared the drawbridge for Redmont in their slow gait, he looked at Alyss. She had her eyes closed as she was huddled forward over the pommel and her arms wrapped around Tugs neck in a meaningful hug. Tug shot a glance at Will as he looked.

Will scoffed at the look saying, "Yeah yeah, but remember I'm the one married to her."

Alyss barely heard him, she was being slowly lulled to sleep but the gentle rocking motion, she didn't feel any pain on her leg as it hung freely out of the stirrup. She could have had the other one hanging out too and have no worries of falling off of Tug. She didn't notice the beautiful sunlight as the clouds parted and reformed continuously above them. There was barely even a breeze as Will, Alyss and her company of guards made there way towards Redmont castle. The battle-school was in sight, but too far to be able to hear the clashing of wooden swords on wooden dummies. Although the sounds of the nearby village could be heard easily as farmers and other lower Craftsman and their families made their daily commute.

The sound of their horseshoes making contact with the wood of the drawbridge brought Alyss down to earth. She shot her eyes open but kept her relaxed grip around Tugs neck. She felt all too comfortable and was worried to move—in case she ruined the divine feeling. She watched the ground change back to a stone path as they crossed the drawbridge. Will looked at her amused, telling himself not to let her ride Tug too often or he'd be out of a horse.

Redmont castle was as beautiful as always as they crossed beneath the battlements. The spiked gate that could be lowered at a moment's notice stood motionless above them as the familiar look of stone walls came into closer detail. Will could see a large tree in the courtyard that he had fond memories of climbing while he was a ward. Hissed gaze drifted lazily around until his eyes came to rest on the keep tower as the sounds of metal boots continued to ring on the stone ramparts above them. Will remembered climbing the tower to read a letter that Halt had given Baron Arald so many years ago. It felt like an eternity as they continued towards the large, double wooden doors that served as the keep doorway.

They arrived at the keep door just in time for Arald to walk out with arms spread wide open in greeting.

"Ho there Will Treaty!" Arald had always loved to announce Wills presence. He did it whenever possible to anyone that would listen. Many of the eyes that guarded the castle looked over in interest—everyone loved Will; he was more legendary than Halt was nowadays. Will simply gave a curt nod and waved at them and looked back at Arald.

Their eyes met and Will spoke with the usual amount of sarcasm, "Your diplomat just couldn't stay away from work."

Arald let out a soft-hearted chuckle, "She's married to the job, not you." Will let himself laugh at the joke—it wasn't as bad as usual. Arald's expression changed to confusion as he looked around.

"Where in the blazes is she?" Will jumped and back peddled his horse a little bit to reveal Tug who was easily hidden behind the larger horse. Will wasn't used to this height difference, it made him uncomfortable.

The Baron stepped forward peering curiously at the figure on Tug. The horse nickered a greeting at him. He pat Tug's muzzle as he took note of Alyss's golden hair, white Courier uniform and tall slender body. However, he couldn't believe this was her, she always had an air of confidence, yet here she was hugging a horse—Will's horse. Arald looked up at Will confused. Alyss noticed a silence and turned her head onto the other side of Tugs neck. She made eye contact with Arald and he froze instantly, it was her but she smiling but it somehow felt out of character. He tilted his head when he realized it was a genuine smile, usually, she just had one for a facade.

She spoke as if in a trance, "have you ever ridden this horse?!"

"No, but now you make me want to!"

Of course, Arald would never be able to ride Tug. Will would die with the code word before he ever told anyone else other than his own apprentice one day. It made Will glow on the inside that he had made Alyss's ride as comfortable as he could but it was now over as she slowly dismounted, taking precaution towards her injured leg. A couple servants came out to help her as she unclipped a couple bags from Tug's saddle and turned towards the keep doorway as Arald motioned for her guards to do likewise.

She was led inside with her men-at-arms and a few servants. Of course, she had to use her crutch otherwise she would have too much weight on her leg. Will and the Baron watched them go.

Arald turned to him saying, "my god what did you do to that poor women? My wife's never looked at me like that in the slightest!" Arald winced as he got himself a few glances from the castle garrison and wished he hadn't said that as loud.

Will looked at the darkness Alyss had disappeared into saying, "all I did was make her as comfortable as possible in her days off. She doesn't get many of them."

"And you do?" Arald scoffed.

Will shrugged saying, "Doesn't matter if I do or not."

Will dismounted Alyss's horse and let the stable boy take care of him. However, Will left Tug just outside of the main keep door, he would be out shortly unless Arald needed him for a task. It's not like anyone could steal Tug anyways. Will entered the keep and made his up the winding staircases that would lead to Arald's office. Alyss was going to want a mission and Will felt a need to know what it was—if there was anything he could to help.

Even though many servants of the castle avoided making eye contact with the mystic Ranger, it was easy for him to get to Arald's office.

It was furnished as always with a large dark wood desk, large curtains to keep the wind out and a fireplace set opposite the desk. A large full mirror stood to the right. Arald didn't indulge himself as much in his office as he used to. Like always, Will stepped up to the mirror, fixing a crease in his cowl and cloak. He pushed his hair to one side and looked over at the Baron as the man rolled his eyes. From behind the desk, he seemed tiny but it was only an illusion because of the sheer size of the desk; it gave the Baron an edge to diplomacy as it made him seem more equal to the ones coming into his office; also if they began to argue, he could rise and step away from the desk casually to the mirror to show off his true bulking size. It never worked on Will or Alyss, but Arald had never had to actually use it against them. Yet he always bragged about the concept.

Alyss was in the room also, beaming a smile towards Will and nodding thanks to him for coming. Will nodded back. She seemed less trancelike—her vacation did her well. She was able to stand in her usual straight-backed manor with her confidence. Even though her leg still annoyed her when she shifted her feet, she was getting used to it. The Baron noticed this too.

He looked to her saying, "Alyss, I'm glad you're back. We've been falling apart without you."

She smiled generously at Arald saying, "I doubt it, but I'm back to help out where I can."

Baron smiled happily, Alyss had always helped him out as an adviser. Even though they were the same rank, Alyss often helped him with the major affairs of the castle, counselling him and giving advice where necessary. In return he owed her, and to a Courier, a favour was power.

He looked over to Will and said, "how about you let me ride along that horse for a while. Now that I think about it my back has been killing me." Arald was grinning, knowing Wills response before he said it.

He went through with it anyway: "sorry Arald, family secret." The Baron looked hurt when Will chose to exclude him from his "family". He shrugged it off as a joke—a rather clever remark if anything.

"Maybe one-day" Arald began, "now, down to business. The first, and only, thing is: Vergo castle hasn't sent a report. Either that or we haven't received it." Will nodded thoughtfully. Normally, they get a report every month from fiefs and castles bordering them, as the Baron also sends reports to all of them. It keeps everyone all in check and if one fief doesn't send a report, it means something has usually gone wrong. It isn't always the Baron who sends it out either. That way a corrupt Baron could always send out false reports. After he attempts to send one, it will be examined by other craftsmasters in the fief, and any of them can decide to burn it on the spot, sending a message for help to all other fiefdoms around it. Of course, there is the problem one of the messages could have been lost or the messenger killed by bandits. Will was surprised that Vergo hadn't sent one, being so close to Redmont and subsequently Castle Araluen. It was definitely odd. Alyss had the same thoughts running through her head.

The Baron said, "we'll need to send someone to go out and deal with it. Seeing as you are still recovering Alyss, let's see if we can send anyone else." In truth, there weren't many people they could send instead of Alyss, but for now, she was at the bottom for the list.

She had opened her mouth to disagree but her eyes flicked to Will, he didn't see the movement but she looked back to the Baron before he could. She shut her mouth with an audible click and nodded saying, "I understand, I'm limited to how I would be able to check in over there." Arald was surprised by this, he had fully expected Alyss to berate him for trying not to send her. He had seen the flick of her eyes and he was suspicious at first that Will was guilty of something. That suspicion was caused by the sudden fear that had spread over Alyss's face. In reality, the fear was just her being scared of travelling anywhere on that damned horse again and the words that she chose made Arald throw out the thought. _Maybe Will had finally taught her about limitations_. He shrugged the thought away. Either way, it works. Will stood quietly as the Baron began listing people.

"Alright, let's send Liam."  
"He's deployed, sir."  
"Alexandra then."  
"She's in Gallica seducing a Baron."  
"I'm not even going to ask. How about Sam?"  
Alyss shook her head, "they are currently out."  
Aralds anger rose, "out where?!"  
"That's classified, sir."  
Arald rubbed his eyebrows, "of course it is." He knew that they had to send a Courier, they couldn't just send a messenger. "How about Emily?"  
"No."  
"Why not?"  
Alyss thought for a second before responding, "No."

Arald rubbed his eyebrows. He knew what Alyss was doing, all of the people he had listed were out. However, he knew Emily was in and ready for anything, but she might not be qualified enough for this. He sighed exasperatedly as he realized he was at the bottom of the list. He wasn't sure if Alyss had omitted Emily because of her qualifications, or if she wanted the assignment herself. He leaned back in defeat; he'd never win an argument with her. Maybe if she was alone, but the feeling of having a Ranger staring at him the entire time was unnerving. Even worse he was afraid he'd accidentally insult Alyss in an outburst. Will was friendly, but insult his wife and he will come for you. The Baron joked about him and Alyss but made sure none of them were insults. Some were playfully insulting Will, but he always laughed at those. The Baron frowned, not knowing what to say.

Alyss spoke for him, "I believe that's everyone except for me," Alyss checked her fingernails and looked at Arald above them, "and I don't have any plans."

"Absolutely not." Will chose this time to intervene. Alyss glared at him as her plan had a screw thrown into it. Arald looked to Will for some resolve.

Alyss spoke up in surprise, "what?"

Will shook his head, "Let Emily take the assignment. She's capable, I've seen her in action." Alyss knew he was right, and Will confirmed the Baron's suspicions. Will continued "and you're injured. Do you know how many people would overlook your authority or even harm you further?" Alyss shut her mouth at that. She knew how her authority wouldn't be as confident because of the flutters of pain she got from her leg. The sight of her injury would give her opponent the upper hand. Bandits would target a Courier immediately if they saw they were injured also. Couriers had dangerous jobs, and they knew the risks.

Alyss's eyes lit up. Will looked at her unperturbed even though she may have found a way around his idea. She spoke confidently, "Well it looks like I'll need some extra security then. Maybe even an adviser."

Alyss looked back to the Baron as she spoke. He pondered the idea; it would give her protection from any bandits or lurkers. It would also give her the advantage in a diplomatic solution if she had an extra person beside her. He frowned at a loophole. "Who? Who Is capable of being an adviser and have an adequate combat experience? We can't send a six-man troop just for a diplomatic meeting."

Alyss raised her chin and said calmly, "A Ranger is both." Will's eyes lit up at that. He looked at her in surprise. She met his gaze and nodded ever so slightly. She knew how bored he was, and this gave a perfect opportunity for some adventure.

The Baron nodded thoughtfully, "this could work. Horace and Cassandra will be coming by tomorrow as they head to Lucard Castle, you can join them since it's on your way anyways. Extra protection never hurt anyone."

Lucard Castle was still within Redmont fief, although it is near the border of it. Will and Alyss's mission for Vergo Castle was smack dab in the centre of the path. It would be perfect to accompany their friends on the trip. Will might even find an excuse to go all the way to Lucard.

Alyss and Will glanced at each other. Neither of them knew that their friends were coming by tomorrow. Will guessed it was because they were out of the loop for a few days. He spoke ecstatically, "the king and queen are coming by?!"

Arald nodded with a smile, "oh yes. And this time you'll accompany them to Vergo. I have a bad feeling that something is stirring up around here, especially with such powerful people making a surprise entrance. They should be here tomorrow morning, they'll stop by for an hour or so and then leave. Make sure you're there."

"Absolutely." Will and Alyss's voices overlapped as they excitedly thought of the next day or two. It was a day ride to Vergo Castle, and another to Lucard. It's been a while since they've all been together, it's a great time to catch up. A thought crossed Wills mind.

"Are they bringing Maddison with them?"

Baron Arald shook his head saying, "they left her at Castle Araluen, it's safer there." Arald knew how much Will and Alyss loved to see Maddison, but they'd have to do without this time.

A disappointed look crossed Wills but he let the thought die away, he was excited to meet his friends again. Nonetheless, he was finally given something to do—a mission. Even better, it was one that he would complete accompanied by his lifetime friends that have become like family to him over the years. This was finally his chance to be useful to those around him again instead of loitering the streets of the village. Will had no idea about the adventure ahead of him—no way of knowing how much danger he was about to unwillingly enlist his friends into.


	3. Impromptu Greetings

It was a bright morning. Alyss had opted to stay in the castle; if she had come down to Will's it would have been more travel and she didn't want to do too much of that due to her limited mobility. Will saw her moving briefly in her window in the keep. He knew she would be right on time, she was never early or late—it was almost unnerving. Will was always early, in fact, he currently stood beside the keep tower near the door. He had only gotten here a few minutes ago and he noticed extra movement on the battlements. He realized the men must have spotted the royal caravan and were preparing to greet them. Will stood beside Tug and rubbed his coarse mane as he waited.

The sun was only just creating the horizon, cascading its golden shower onto the clouds. The air felt clearer than normal and Will instinctively took a deep breath to enjoy it. He had a good feeling about today and how nothing could spoil his mood. Of course, spending the next several hours in a saddle will dampen his mood but he was used to that aspect of life and it never bothered him anymore. Will was beaming as he smiled upon his own fortune in life. Today felt more perfect than any other day he has had in the past couple of months as he was finally given a task—albeit a simple one. Out of nowhere, a bad feeling began to creep onto his shoulders. Cold fingers clutched his spine and the feeling sent shivers through his body as he realized what it was. Anytime, at any point in his life, when something seemed to go right for Will, something else would usually go wrong; so now as everything he had with Alyss and his friends felt like heaven, he knew that something was coming. Everything has a balance, and right now Will knew that his life was tipped too far into prosperity. His tongue went dry as his mind cycled through an aspect of his routine that could go wrong—trying to find a mistake that could cause devastation to him or anyone around him. However, a click of the keep doors snapped him out of his suddenly paranoid mindset. The feeling immediately faded as Will rest his eyes on his beloved—who was looking at him skeptically.

Alyss came out of the tower just seconds before the royal caravan poured into the courtyard—not giving her a chance to see what was on Will's mind. Her white Courier gown glittered in the sunlight, creating an illusion of her blonde hair glowing. It only took Will a second to register how beautiful she looked, he's actually gotten used to doing this quickly as it happened every time he saw her. However, his attention was diverted towards the mass of horses that marched into the courtyard.

Will watched in awe as twenty men strode into the courtyard in a large rectangle. In the centre was Horace, astride Kicker, and Cassandra on her horse. Will frowned as he realized she never had a name for the large stallion. He let his grin grow even larger as Horace dismounted immediately and hugged Will. Will stepped into it as he was embraced into his friend's brutish bear hug. His breath was shoved out of his lungs and he chuckled saying, "I do want some ribs left after today."

Horace laughed and put Will down and ignored his friendly jab while saying, "it's so good to see you again! Were you waiting for us?"

Horace asked this as he hugged Alyss also. Cassandra stepped down off of her mount and embraced with Will too. Alyss and the Queen even embraced, they'd grown to like each other over the years. Alyss put a hand on her hip and leaned onto her left easily saying, "you'll be seeing a lot more of us since we're coming with you to Vergo Castle."

Will smiled again as he looked at the bright smiles on Horace and Evanlyn's faces. Will could have sworn he saw movement on the face of one of her men. He could have sworn it was some sort of scowl or frown, but as soon as he began to search for the sudden movement, it disappeared. Will simply shrugged it off as a cough. He brought his attention back to Horace as his friend shouted, "it's an honour to have you escort us Will Treaty."

Horace grinned, knowing he was bragging about Will's achievements to the royal party of knights and men-at-arms. They all roared their approval with their king. Evanlyn elbowed Horace none too gently saying, "it'll be nice to catch up with you both."

Evanlyn's smile faded to a frown of motherly concern when she looked down at Alyss. The brown leather brace showed a contrast against the white gown as it came into view once in a while as her skirt billowed slightly with the changing winds.

Alyss tried to hide it for a second saying, "oh that? It's nothing serious, I just need to learn how to unsaddle myself before the horse falls next time." Horace's smile faded also. He had seen many accidents in horse schools where a horse would trip and trap its rider underneath. He knew that Alyss had gotten off luckily as the horse didn't roll. Will nodded at him as their eyes met. Horace's smile brightened a more—knowing that she was recovering.

He put an arm around Cassandra saying, "I'm sure Will hasn't left her alone since. Now, we can catch up while on the road. We're already late."

* * *

It was late afternoon as they were walking their horses along the high road. Their twenty soldiers were all spaced out, making sure that no one could breach into the rectangle to get to the king and queen. They all rode battle horses that could keep this slow walking all day. Tug, with Alyss atop him, was stamping his feet constantly and wanting to go faster, knowing how this slow walk wasn't as effective at eating kilometres. Will ignored the signs because he knew Tug was disciplined and for the fortieth time that morning, Will checked Alyss's horse with the reins. Alyss, who had gotten used to the smooth motion grinned at him as he flicked the reins back for a second. Will grumbled to himself as the horse seemed to constantly sidestep for fun. Will checked him again and said, "Alyss I'm not surprised he fell on you. He's going to fall on me."

Horace, who was to Will's right, chuckled saying, "I'd love to see that." Will shot a sharp glance with irises made of daggers at him as he brought the horse under control.

He sighed and looked at Cassandra, trying to change the subject, "so, how do you manage the estate of the kingdom while taking care of Maddi?"

The Queen smiled warmingly and let her gaze drifted upward as she thought of her cherished possession.

Horace spoke proudly before she could, "I help take care of any minor problems in the kingdom while caring for Maddi. Oh and-"

"-and we wouldn't have been able to do it without Anthony." Cassandra butt in with a glare at her husband. Horace shut his mouth with an audible click—realizing he had cut her off. Cassandra continued, "he's been a father beforehand and taught Horace and I a few things about being good parents. He's taking care of her while we are going to this meeting."

Alyss nodded and chipped in playfully, "but Maddi is so cute! I've got to come by sometime just to see her!"

Cassandra smiled proudly softly speaking, "I'd love that. I think she'd love it most."

Will noticed that Horace had broken away from his wife to come sidling closer to his old friend. He knew that Will wanted questions answered instead of having all this small talk. Horace answered them before Will could even ask, "Halt is overloaded with paperwork, as is Crowley, and lady Pauline is happy just to have Halt with her at all times. Can't say that Halt is exactly enjoying retirement though. He's more strict with guards than their commanders and they don't even work him. Although I will say that they still avidly listen to him." Horace finished with a smile fluttering on his lips as he remembered how Halt would constantly keep lookout upon the guards that are on the lookout—making sure they do their jobs.

Horace grinned as Will as his mouth shut with an audible click when he heard movement beside him. Will looked at Alyss as she struggled to resettle her bottom on Tugs saddle.

Horace followed his gaze, "you're enjoying taking care of her, aren't you?"

"I'm having the time of my life," Will spoke with a guilty expression, "and if you ask her, I bet she would say the same thing. I tried to get her to abstain from taking a mission, and when she decided she was going to anyways, she brought me along."

Horace chuckled saying, "oh yes. I've heard that you solved all of Redmont's problems. A little boring now isn't it?"

"I wish that someone would die once in a while, you know?" Will frowned at the reprimanding expression on Horace's face. He realized what he'd said and re-worded his statement, "Well... not like that. I just needed to get out for a while—to do something worthwhile. Taking care of my wife when she's injured, that's worthwhile."

Horace nodded his agreement, "you know I felt the same way not too long ago." Will looked at Horace in astonishment. It seemed so long since they had gone on their adventures, saving Skandia from the Temujai, trekking the Arridi deserts. Yet now they were talking about their wives and Horace's child.

Will zoned back in as Horace started speaking again, "Oh yes. Cassandra had fallen sick with a simple cold and I'd treated her as if she'd had the plague. I smothered her, doing anything I could to make her more comfortable. It was fun, she had fun too. She loves it when I treat her like that. She's my literal queen." Horace's eyes lit up at that statement. Will knew how proud he was of Cassandra, how far she'd gotten in so little time. Will thought of how far they'd all gotten. He and Horace stared into each other's eyes for a moment; seeing a mutual spark of recognition between them. This was one of the happiest times of their lives, and they both knew it. Horace pat Will on the back and Will grabbed his other hand, shaking it prominently.

"Thank you, Horace, for everything you've ever done. We've lived great lives together."

Horace returned the bright smile saying, "no Will, thank you. We went through thick and thin together. Although I have a feeling that Araluen isn't done with us yet." Horace broke off and rejoined Evanlyn and Alyss. Will grinned knowing that he'd never get used to calling her Cassandra but a feeling of déjà vu swept over him like a wave. The cold feeling of paranoia as he knew something that was off. He had an uncomfortable feeling of omniscience as another feeling of dread crept along his arms as it had before they had set out onto the road.

Then it was gone.

As fast as it arrived, the paranoia slithered away before Will was able to place what exactly he was afraid of. Either way, he knew it was malevolent in nature and would turn his entire world upside down. He shook his head and rubbed his temples—trying to push away the sudden fear within his soul.

It was going to be a long ride, at the slow canter of the royal caravan it would take them most of the day to get to Vergo. It would be a nice place to spend the night. Even with the conversation between his old friends, the ride was still painstakingly slow. Will felt as if their horses were trudging through syrup. Will was jostled out of his thoughts as his horse jumped excitedly. He tugged the reins sharply and glanced over at Tug. The shaggy pony was looking at him and Will could have sworn he had an eyebrow raised. Will curled his lip in frustration as he looked down at Alyss's former horse. He glanced back and saw her smile as she rode on Tug. The frustration and contempt he felt melted away as she slowly undulated whilst on Tug. She let out a laugh as Horace delivered a punchline. Her head moved back and her golden hair moved with her, accentuating her looks. Her white gown was spotless as she rode. Her right leg sat out of the stirrup and the ugly leather brace caught the eye. Will knew it was good for her to be riding Tug as he was trained to hold an injured passenger but Will couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he looked at her. A thought struck him and he pressured the horse's ribs ever so slightly with his knees.

He came alongside Cassandra and spoke calmly and level, "you know our mission right?"

Cassandra looked at Will inquisitively asking, "you're on your way to Vergo Castle, are you not?"

Will nodded and continued, "yes, and we are going because they never sent a report."

Cassandra squinted and asked, "what are you going to ask?"

Will shrugged and stopped trying to lead slowly into his request, "well... in case something is wrong at Vergo Castle, a large royal presence might not be the best thing." Cassandra took in a breath to argue. Will was about to cut her off but realized who she was and shut his mouth.

"Why wouldn't it be a good thing?"

"Well if someone is doing something they're not supposed to..."

Cassandra caught onto his reasoning and said, "then they'll start doing their job once they see the King and Queen."

Her shoulders sagged as she realized she'd be spending the night outside instead of in a warm castle. She shook her head knowing she was getting soft. Will went to put a hand on her shoulder but decided not to—it wasn't proper etiquette.

"Only for that one night. If something is seriously wrong and we can't deal with it alone, you'll be our cavalry. Or if the message was just lost in the mail, then you can come along. But the fact no one knows you're coming can work out in our favour." Will reassured her.

Cassandra nodded and held herself straight again stating, "I understand. Let's hope you're not right."

Will grinned saying, "let's hope."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set over the trees when Will and Alyss rode ahead of the main group. Horace was completely fine with spending the night in the wilderness—he actually enjoyed it. He didn't like saying goodbye to his friends for the night, but he saw Will's reasoning. Alyss knew it was needed and didn't deny the offer to spend the night in a castle.

Horace and Cassandra's party set up about a kilometre away from Vergo Castle. It only took Will and Alyss ten minutes to get to it. The sun was halfway below the horizon as they moved. Will knew that they didn't have much daylight left. He looked ahead and saw Vergo Castle looming over them. He looked over at Alyss and she peered at him.

"Let's hope this goes as planned." She spoke to him with hopeful undertones. Will nodded to her and looked ahead towards their destination; Vergo was a small castle, it had a small village attached outside of the walls which only rose five or six meters off the ground. It was all stone with four towers and a small keep in the centre. It was more of a pit stop than a castle, but it still had a garrison. It also had a moat to protect it and a large drawbridge that could be lowered over it. It was up now as it was getting late in the day. They got closer to it and had to stop before the ground sloped down. Will looked up expectantly at the drawbridge and frowned—it wasn't being lowered yet. They waited an extra minute and it still didn't budge. Will sighed and rubbed his eyebrows.

"This isn't a good sign." Will sighed exasperatedly. He and Alyss knew fully that the drawbridge was supposed to be lowered at the sight of a Courier or Ranger yet alone both. Will dusted off his cloak and held his bow, that he had strung five minutes prior, on his lap as they waited. He saw no movement on the ramparts so he hailed the guards. Now he saw a head poke up in alarm and dart away. Within seconds the drawbridge started to lower. Alyss kept her composure and swayed lightly in her straight-backed pose.

The drawbridge made a muffled thud as it landed on the grass in front of them. Will and Alyss exchanged a look of disappointment and then began to move across it. Hooves clopped onto the wood, and then onto the flagstones below them. They both stepped outside the keep and walked their horses along to the stables. Will got down first and then helped Alyss down before anyone could see. The guards promptly, and uncharacteristically ignored them and kept a look outwards. Will frowned at them—if they'd been looking outward the entire time, he and Alyss should have been spotted long ago.

It took a few minutes for them to unsaddle their horses and settled them into the stable. One of the stable-boys helped Alyss with the large horse as Will had chosen to care for Tug. After a few more minutes to ready herself, Alyss strode graciously to the door. Albeit the limp in her gait, she still looked beautiful and authoritative. Will had to partially run to keep up with her long legs. There were times when he hated being a head shorter than most people, and this was one of those times.

Two large double wooden doors loomed above them from the keep. They were curved at the top to create one continuous arc from one door to the next and the wood was studded with metal. One large brass ring was on each door for when someone needed to knock. Will now reached for one of the rings to get someone's attention but the door swung open before he could grab it. He had expected the Baron to come down and greet them but instead, it was the Battlemaster who had opened it.

Will took his hand back quickly as he was about to ask a question to the man looking above them now. The Battlemaster was a tall man with a large red mustache that covered most of his mouth. He had no beard, albeit a five o'clock shadow, with a chiselled jaw and was wearing chainmail with his coat of arms on it. He quickly hushed Will and stepped out of the keep towards them. The man looked around and squinted suspiciously at the guards posted along the walls who now refused to look at their guests. Will caught a whiff of the malodorous scent of the chainmail the man wore. Will was about to demand an explanation as more alarm bells rang in his head. He kept a hand near the hilt of his saxe knife—ready to draw it if this new character were to become hostile. Will kept this mentality as the red-mustached guard ushered the two of them in rather unceremoniously. He looked around worriedly at the oblivious guards and closed the door behind Will and Alyss.

Will turned around angrily at the Battlemaster, he could excuse treating a Ranger like this, but not the head diplomat herself. He was about to berate the man when he saw him in greater detail within the candlelight. His eyes had bags under them, his surcoat was rumpled, splotched with dirt and mud along with his ruffled hair. His eyes were wide open with worry, the whites of his eyes larger than his iris. Will's hand relaxed ever so slightly away from his saxe as he took note of how the Battlemaster kept his distance as he glanced at Alyss—she wasn't too happy about their treatment either. The man rubbed his hands and straightened his chain mail. He held out a hand politely for Alyss and said, "I'm very sorry about that Lady Alyss." Relief flashed over Alyss's face as she realized that the Battlemaster wasn't a danger to them. Will felt the same relief when he realized the man didn't even have his sword on him.

"It's okay but what happened to you?! You're a mess!" Alyss spoke as she looked him up and down.

"Name's Talion, and you're not wrong about that—not at all." He looked over to Will and shook his outstretched hand eagerly. "Thank god you're here." Talion, unlike most people, wasn't fretted at all by the fact that a Ranger had just walked into his castle. However, his words drilled into Will as his suspicions came true.

"So there is something wrong. What is it?" Will asked, pleading for a problem that would take his at least a week to solve.

"You… you don't know?" Talion looked at Will and Alyss dumbfounded. Alyss could hear a scratching as the Battlemaster rubbed his jowl.

"No, we don't," Alyss replied with a simple statement, not complimenting nor degrading Talion.

Talion barely heard her as his mind raced. His hand slipped from his jaw as he spoke—presenting his dilemma to his two visitors.

"It's Baron Vallan. He's on the verge of inciting a mutiny against the crown."


	4. Unpleasant Introductions

_**Alright, I may have made some mistakes. When I first released this chapter, that's when all the mistakes happened! Yay! They're all fixed now, at least they should be, but I accidentally released a version that had several typos and even a couple author notes. Whoops. Sorry to the first couple people who read this because it takes half an hour to update a chapter to it's newest version :(((**_

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"Treason?! So close to Castle Araluen itself? Why?! Who is part of it?! What do they even want?" Will immediately assaulted Talion with a barrage of questions. Alyss glared at him as he couldn't restrain himself and his thirst for knowledge. However, the Battlemaster knew these questions would come and was perfectly capable of answering them.

Talion thought for a moment while straightening the surcoat that hung atop his chainmail.

"Uh, yes. Yes. Because of Queen Cassandra. Vallan and his men. A new ruler." Talion smiled to himself, knowing he'd answered Will's simple questions that only brought upon a thousand more. Before he could open the floodgates upon the poor Battlemaster, Alyss chose to ask a more immediate question.

"I assume it's you who burnt the report then."

"Yes, my lady. I'm the only one around here that wanted to. I'm lucky no one found out." Talion dipped his head and gave a slight bow to Alyss that made his sore back crack in at least two different places. He stood up straight with a sigh of discomfort and saw the not-so-gentle urgency in his two visitors eyes that commanded him to speak. He'd been living in hell for two weeks yet these two couldn't wait a couple minutes. He simply rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat before continuing. "Again, I'm terribly sorry about your entrance, but Vallan has practically turned my men against me."

This caught Will and Alyss's attention. Talion noticed this and continued as he made sure they were paying heed to his words. Before he continued, something caught his eye and he looked down at Alyss's leg brace. He frowned and looked up her questioningly. She waved to stave off the unspoken question saying, "It was an accident with a horse. Go on."

Talion scratched his neck and toyed with the edge of his mustache. "That could be a problem. You see, Vallan speaks folly of the crown. He's even ventured to joke of treason against the queen. It's completely plausible that he may even be planning an attempt to usurp Queen Cassandra." Will and Alyss looked at each other now, this was a serious accusation. They focused now on the Battlemaster even more than before.

"Many of the men around here share his thoughts on it. 'coincidentally,'" Talion stressed the word, "they just happen to be on the gate and ramparts at all times. Many of the men who oppose his stance find themselves out of a job. There's a rumour that if anyone disagrees with him, he'll send hired killers to make sure they never disagree again."

Will frowned as he went over the details in his mind. He rolled them over and studied them thoroughly as he tactician mind analyzed their situation. He found a loophole and asked, "if that's the case, then why are you still here? Why not come to Redmont and report yourself?"

The Battlemaster shook his head hurriedly, "I can't. If I leave this castle will fall apart under his rule. He's convinced that I'm on his side. I think he suspects me of plotting against him, but he wouldn't dare say it to my face. Instead, he stays up in his tower all day." Talion turned to Alyss urgently, "my lady, you shouldn't be here with only a Ranger as backup." Will crossed his arms and glared at the man but he looked at Alyss and knew that Talion was right. If the Baron even joked about the queen yet alone joke about treason, he would have no problem killing a diplomat. Especially if said diplomat is injured. If she was caught alone, he'd be powerless to help her.

Alyss stayed silent as Talion continued as he felt guilty via association, "you see, he looks upon women with contempt. He strongly believes only a man should sit upon the throne. He's... even said a few words about you, my lady." Alyss sighed and put a hand on his shoulder saying, "a lot of people talk behind my back. That's why I make sure he's-" Alyss flicked her head to Will, "-always behind them."

Talion nodded and smiled gratefully saying, "then you'll arrest him? He can't get away with this."

"And he won't." Will spoke after staying silent so long, "Thank you for alerting us, Alyss will go with you to have a talk with him since all we need is evidence against him."

Alyss flicked her head over at him confused, "are you not?!" Talion looked at the oddly-excited Ranger equally confused. Will grinned and donned his cloak as he said, "No. I'm gonna break into a Baron's office while you greet him. He wouldn't let me in either way."

* * *

It was a windless night—thank god for Will. He had left the keep as Alyss and Talion made their way up the stairs. The stars his away behind clouds as Will walked around the tower looking up. He darted a glance at the sparse guards around the ramparts. They hadn't noticed him and had no reason to look inward to the castle. Will grinned as he looked back up. He saw a small gap in the wall and a flickering light inside of it; that must be the Baron's window. Every office had a glass-paned window that could be opened up instead of iron bars. Luckily it was able to be opened from the outside as no one was able to get outside of the window. Anyone except a Ranger that is.

Will stepped forward and got two handholds. He looked up and tensed his muscles. The stones were rough and unweathered and would make an easy journey for an experienced climber. Will surged up the first few meters in mere seconds. The dry rocks gave him easy hand and footholds. In less than twenty seconds he was halfway up the keep tower. He chose now to look back and down. Vertigo hit him for a second but he was used to it and immediately ignored at as he risked a look at the guards. They hadn't noticed a thing and continued along with their usual routes. No alarms were blaring as Will felt a minute amount wind lapping at his earlobes. Will grinned as he looked back up at the tower as he rested on the wall like an arachnid in waiting. It wasn't even five minutes until he was resting just below the window to the Baron's office.

The candlelight flickered above him as he heard shuffling papers inside. _The Baron must be doing paperwork_. Will could hear the thick breathing of the man and shook his head at the laziness. He hadn't even come down to greet him nor Alyss. Luckily for Will, Vallan had no idea he was even at the castle. The guards all showed contempt towards leadership—which includes Vallan.

Will stayed motionless beneath the window. He knew that any slight movement might alert the Baron to his position. After only a few minutes his tensed muscles began to cramp. They screamed at him to readjust his grip and relieve the pressure even if it was only momentary. Will resisted the urge and sat still for another minute. The Baron continued to breathe through his nostrils while looking at menial papers that he would never get around to signing. That's when the sound of knocking at the Baron's door appeared and he let out a sigh of relief. The Baron groaned as he leaned forward and got out of his chair. He stepped away and opened the door. He spoke something that Will couldn't make out and the door closed behind him. Will sighed and crawled up into the window. His head poked over to make sure that the Baron had left the room. He stood still for a moment, scanning the shadows underneath the doorway. Nothing was close and Will knew the coast was clear. He seethed over the ledge like a black mass and stood up in the room. It had flat walls with many paintings strewn about. The art was almost all portraits of various famous historical figures whose eyes all seemed directed towards his small pine desk. Their eyes seemed to follow Will as he stepped deeper into the rectangular room. There was a large rug placed in the centre of the room and the red flower designs didn't match any of the other decors. Two large mirrors stood in opposite corners and many wardrobes sat around the room. He had a large desk by the window with a candle on it—a multitude of papers was strewn across the desk. Will's gaze searched the room until he saw what he wanted. He stepped towards the far corner of the room, it was the furthest away from the door and desk—completely enshrouded in darkness by a large dresser. It was in the shadow because of the candle on Vallan's desk and Will's muffled footsteps quieted as he entered hiding. He pulled his cowl tighter around his face and held his bow at the ready but hidden by his side. He wanted to be ready to act if anything went wrong, but not give away his position. Will didn't bother drawing an arrow in premeditation in case any light reflected off the broadhead; Will was able to draw and fire within a heartbeat and already having the arrow inbetwixt his fingers wouldn't give any advantage—only another liability.

Will relaxed all his muscles as he leaned further into the darkness. He kept his breathing even as he heard voices from outside the door growing to a crescendo.

The door flung open at the protest of its hinges as the Baron strolled through confidently. He was a very plump man, one that obviously indulged in what his servants didn't have. He had a constant smile on his face and a thin beard that showed Will where his jaw and chin should be along with where they weren't. Will didn't think he had much to fear of this man in a physical standard, no wonder he wouldn't argue with Talion—the man was all bark and no bite. Vallan wouldn't have the influence to incite rebellion. _But_ _if he doesn't have the strength to start a revolution, who was be working with?_

Will was surprised when two of the Baron's guards walked in with Alyss and Talion. There weren't supposed to be any guards in here, especially when there was a meeting with a diplomat. Will frown deepened when he saw the two men eyeing Alyss with a sly grin. Only Talion had the look of a guard, a blank and un-invasive stare that never connected to anyone's eyes—except to that of an aggressor.

Alyss kept an authoritative pose but Will was sure she knew the guards were staring at her. She always seemed to have a pair of eyes in the back of her head—often catching Will trying to indulge his eyes. The Barron let the door creak closed behind them and waddled to his desk. He sidestepped into the hardwood chair and slumped roughly into it, leaned back with a sigh. The two guards stayed near the back of the room just behind Alyss; they were closest to Will as he kept his eyes riveted on the situation in front of him.

Talion stood beside Alyss. Will thought he looked rather intimidating—vastly different from how they'd first met. _No wonder the Baron trusted him, he was a good actor._ Will saw now that Talion carried his sword on his belt. Will grinned knowing that he'd taken it off purposefully earlier so that Will and Alyss knew he was friendly.

Alyss spoke suddenly and her words cut through Will's thoughts like an executioner's axe, "are the guards really worth necessary?" The Baron's smile dropped as he leaned forward and intertwined his fingers in front of him. His elbows rested on the light wood desk as his smile dropped.

The man spoke in a surprisingly higher pitch than usual, "they're here to make sure you don't try anything."

Alyss' eyes spoke nothing but she knew what was coming. This man obviously didn't know the hierarchy regarding their ranks or just didn't care.

He gestured to Talion saying, "give him your dagger. _Slowly_." The Baron added the last word as an afterthought.

Alyss stood firm, "I have a right to bear arms."

The Baron shook his head, "not anymore you don't. Now give him your weapon." Alyss said nothing as she unclipped the dagger's holster and gave it to Talion. He clipped it to his own belt, on the side away from Alyss. The Baron looked her up and down saying, "now, Alyss, why hav-"

"It's Lady Alyss."

"Woman!" The Baron's lip curled as he spat the word at her. Alyss stood her ground unmoving as he did so. This kind of insult was unforgivable to a diplomat—yet alone the head diplomat. The Baron was obviously overconfident in his ability to keep things under wraps. Little did he know there was a Ranger standing in the room looking directly at him. Will was amazed at how Alyss kept up her blank professional façade. If he were in her position he would have demanded at least a shred of respect or just stare grimly at him—demanding it without a word. Yet here Alyss was, calming breathing with her hands folded one over the other in front of her body as she kept her chin held high. Any feeling of pain she felt in her leg vanished the second she couldn't afford to show weakness.

The Baron stayed behind his desk as he stared at Alyss. He spoke again from before Alyss had cut him off, "you come here alone... injured? What a foolish mistake. I know that messengers often go without guards to move faster. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Alyss let out a smile, one that never reached her eyes, as she bit her inner lip at the insult of being referred to as a messenger. Wills fury as grew at this treatment of his wife.

Alyss stated whilst ignoring the rude comments, "Here are my credentials," she tossed a scroll onto the Baron's desk, "your report never made it to Redmont." The Baron's eyes lit up in anger as he looked to Talion. He met his stare as the Battlemaster asked, "do _you_ know who it was?" Will held his breath as Talion asked his lie, attempting to redirect the blame temporarily. Will let it out ever so silently as it was pulled like cloth over Vallan's eyes.

"No idea," Vallan rubbed his eyebrows frustratedly, "No matter. We'll have them all questioned." Will grinned at the fact that Vallan trusted Talion to the point he never even accused him. Will was glad to have another friend in the room with Alyss, even if he had to play the part of the enemy for now. Alyss cleared her throat to regain Vallan's attention. He waved her away saying, "yes, yes, I know your credentials."

The plump figure picked up the scroll on his desk. Without opening or reading it, he promptly held it above the candle on his desk. The flame licked hungrily at the paper and after a few seconds, it lit aflame and he turned to the window. He tossed it away and it began to float down towards the flagstones below as it began to burn more fiercely—condemned to ash before it hit the ground. Alyss's cheeks flushed red with anger as he did so.

Vallan looked back at her with contempt. He leaned forward and said, "you have no power over any of us. Don't even try anything because either way, you'll be dead before sunrise. We're going to have a nice, long chat. Then afterwards, I'll throw you into the barracks and let the men have at you. I hear many of them are untouched by a woman and want to change that." The two guards at the back of the room grinned and shot a glance at each other. They looked back at Alyss and their eyes drifted downwards.

Talion let out a strained, painful smile, yet he didn't look at Alyss. The Baron didn't mention it as he stared at her himself. Will's heart pumped so loud he was surprised that no one else could hear it. He wanted to put an arrow in all the men in the room excluding Talion. No one should ever be spoken to like that. The fact that Vallan would say it to a diplomat means that he would certainly go through it; although Will was more angered by the fact he'd said that to his wife. Alyss's face flashed with fear as she looked around. She didn't see Will but she recomposed herself, knowing he was in the room, and her fury seethed through. She flicked her hair behind her head and said, "that would be a capital crime and you'd be hung or exiled. Lay your hands on me and you'll be executed."

"That's only if I'm caught."

He strode to the window and took a deep breath as he stared out at the dark forest. Little did he know that the King and Queen were just a kilometre away. He turned back to Alyss and said, "as if you'd be able to fight back without a dagger and a braced leg. How do you think we should send a message of your disappearance to that damned Ranger Will? An obituary maybe?"

Alyss took a step forward in anger but Talion stepped beside her and looked straight into her eyes. She stopped and looked at the Baron.

"Don't try a thing or Talion will have you first before the barracks," Vallan spoke with a grin, "How delightful it is when the infamous Ranger isn't even here to protect his wife." Vallan scoffed at Wills rank. "He's barely even done anything, it's all exaggerated. I bet he's never even left Araluen. Either way, I'm going to tell him myself that you _disappeared_." The Baron smiled as he circled Alyss. "You don't deserve that rank of head diplomat. A position of power belongs to a man. Women should just be at home cooking and taking care of screaming children. That's all you're good for enough you shrew-faced strumpet."

Alyss's rage seethed over and she stepped towards Vallan. She slapped an open palmed hand across his face and he recoiled in surprise. Talion stepped forward and grabbed Alyss's arms and she initially resisted but slowly stepped back into line. She struggled for a moment with her emotions but soon brought her usual façade back to light. Will noticed that even though it looked like an effort for Talion, he always kept a very light touch on Alyss.

The Baron stumbled and caught his footing, staring at surprise at nothing while holding his face. He stared right into the shadow where Will stood unmoving. Will didn't hold his breath, knowing that eventually, he would have to let it out and then breath heavily for a couple seconds which would undoubtedly reveal his position. After what felt like an eternity to Will, Vallan turned back angrily to Alyss.

She spoke before he could, "you do not speak to a lady like that. Duncan elected that woman were better diplomats and you know it's true." Vallan stood in front of Alyss, his belly protruding much further than his nose. "And yet here you are. Oh to hell with Duncan and to hell with his daughter! She's a crooked-nose Knave and she should never have been allowed to touch the throne yet alone sit on it! If only that fake soldier of hers would use the power he has!" Alyss's eye twitched with success and she relaxed as she'd gotten what she wanted. The Baron had openly stated and insulted the queen, a diplomat and a Ranger. Threatening a Diplomat's life itself was punishable but the man had no chance of redemption anymore; Talion was right, the man could well be planning a usurpation.

Vallan's eyes bulged with fury as he glared at the grinning woman in front of him. "It's time a lesson was taught in respect." He spoke while outstretching a hand towards Alyss.

That's when Will stepped out of the shadows, his bow already drawn with an arrow nocked and aimed at the Baron. "Lay a hand on her and you'll never grab anything for the rest of your life."

He stopped in surprise and looked at the man who seemed to have walked out a wall. The colour seeped from his face as he recognized the Ranger cloak and the only person that it could be. The whites of his eyes glowed in the dark as he stared at Will. The enormity of the situation hit him like an anvil and he stepped back, bumping into his table. He stumbled back and pointed to his guards, "kill them!"

The guards at the back of the room jumped and held up their spears in sudden fear. They both believed in the fairy tales of Rangers and their dark magic and seeing Will's entrance only reinforced their fears. Alyss simply stepped closer to the centre of the room-away from the surrounding dangers-with a flick of her hair and a well-deserved smirk to Vallan. She kept an eye on him and the action from Will as she stood patiently, knowing this conflict would be over within a couple seconds. The first guard stepped towards Will with his eyes set intently on him—he was going to put down the Ranger once and for all. Will didn't even turn to him as he saw a flash of silver slide towards the man. In lightning speed, a blade sheared through the shaft of the spear, just before the pointed tip. The metal piece clanged to the floor and the guard looked dumbfounded at his nigh-useless weapon.

Talion lifted his sword and returned it to his sheath. He kept his hand on the hilt as he looked at the other guard saying, "put it away, soldier." The man stood stock still as he looked at Talion and back to Will. Talion stepped towards the man, his hand tightening around the pommel of the brass handle. "Drop it!" Talion shouted. The guard, galvanized into action, dropped the spear and held up his hands by his head. The other soldier backed up against the wall with his arms in a similar fashion.

Will focused back on Vallan as he stared in horror as his fate was sealed. He looked around at the three people now staring angrily at him. His eyes darted to the door and his feet began to move; Will, however, moved faster. He dashed his hand forward and grabbed the front of the man's shirt. Will had slung his longbow around his shoulder and slid his arrow back into his quiver as he did so.

As he grabbed Vallan's shirt, he kept his fist going and slammed it into the man's nose. He heard the crunch of cartilage as it shattered instantly. He drew his hand back and practically lifted the man off his feet, although Will wasn't sure he'd be able to lift him. Vallan yelled in surprise and didn't try to break Wills grip, instead, he tried to stem the flow of blood from his nose. Will looked at him angrily saying with a look of contempt in his eyes and his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"You." Will drilled the word into the suddenly inferior specimen in front of him.


End file.
